Representative Joe Neguse

Dear Neighbor,

I’ve got a BIG update!

As our national politics becomes more destructive and performative, it is more important than ever to deliver real results for the communities we serve. That’s why this week, I’m excited to share that the House passed my bill to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, which will soon become law.

The SRS program is a vital lifeline for communities across our district. It supports investments in local infrastructure, public safety, and public education. For Colorado, this includes funding for wildfire mitigation, search-and-rescue operations & trail and road maintenance. Our local school districts can also use SRS payments to improve school transportation services, ensure high-quality instructional materials, create new extracurricular activities and more.

Final consideration of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act followed a letter I helped lead last week, calling on House Republican leadership to act urgently and put this bill on the Floor for a vote.

As you know, my top priority is always to deliver for the people I represent — from Grand County to Eagle County and everywhere in between. And I’m incredibly proud to see our approach get this legislation across the finish line, and more importantly, deliver for the people of Colorado.

In other news, as you may know, for years, I’ve led the effort to ban stock trading by Members of Congress, and have worked with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to champion legislation on the same. Because, put simply, public servants should be focused on serving their community — not their stock portfolios.

We must utilize every tool to get our legislation across the finish line, which is why this week I became the first Colorado Democrat to sign onto the Republican-led discharge petition to force a vote on a prohibition on congressional stock trading.

It is long past time for the Speaker to put this bill on the House floor, and for the Congress to ban this insidious activity — period.

FIRE PROTECTION LEADER JOINs ME IN WASHINGTON

I was grateful to have Grand Fire Protection District Chief Brad White, Chair of the Board of the Grand County Wildfire Council, testify in favor of my bill, the Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act. This bill would require a comprehensive review of the wildfire landscape in the United States, every four years, to improve coordination, optimize strategies, and enhance outcomes related to mitigation, response, and recovery.

As this bill makes it way through the Federal Lands Subcommittee, of which I am honored to serve as Ranking Member, I’ll continue to partner with local leaders to advance our common-sense proposal to tackle the growing wildfire crisis.

Check out my opening remarks HERE and below.

In the video above: Congressman Neguse gives opening remarks at Federal Lands Subcommittee.

THANKFUL FOR OUR INSPIRING CONSTITUENTS IN CD2

The last week has been a busy one — starting off earlier in the week, I visited with folks at our Mobile Office Hours in Longmont and also had the opportunity to visit with Monarch High School government class students in Louisville. See below our post from Office Hours and stay tuned for one near you!

Pictured left: Congressman Neguse speaks to government class at Monarch High School.

Pictured right: Congressman Neguse speaks to constituent at Longmont Mobile Office Hours.

WHAT ELSE HAVE WE BEEN WORKING ON?

🚦Last week, Team Neguse was grateful to be part of a panel at the Grand County Traffic Safety Symposium where local, state, and federal partners met with community members to identify opportunities to decrease the incidence of tragic traffic fatalities in Grand County.
✈️Need a passport? We have a few spots left in our rescheduled Passport Acceptance Fair on Friday, January 16. You can apply for a new passport or renew yours right here in Boulder. Please sign up HERE.

Please continue to stay safe, stay healthy, and — despite everything — stay hopeful!

Sincerely,

Joe Neguse
Member of Congress